The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-04-25
THE WORD Groom"
A Trans-Mississippi Philologist Claims to
Have Been Deprived of His Honors.

A Trans Mississippi Philologist Claims to
Have Been Deprived of His Honors.
st. Louis Globe Democrat es
new English dictionary of gigantic propor-
tons is in process of erection in London under
the somewhat pretentious supervision of Mr.
James A. II. Murray. who mas letters enough at
the end of his name to go around a block. and
who besides having the materials of the Lon
don Pathological Society, of which he was at
one time president, at his command. has the as
sstance in his own words, .of many scholars
and men of science" Mr. Murray urges the
necessity and Importance of his work, which
has already reached it's thousandth page without
completing the BIS, because it is based ION his
torical principles" The value of the informa-
ton which is at the foundation of his defn-
tons of Anericanism-as far, at least,
he has gone-ie SHOWN in his attempt to make
plain the origin meaning and history of the
word "boom." which has been assigned place
among the most expressive and meaningful
terms of the English language. Mr.. Murray
says of the noun: This and its verb have arisen
recently in the United States; it is not clear
whether the verb is from the substantive, or
conversely. The actual origin is also matter
of conjecture; probably it consisted in a particu
lar application of boom, sb. 1.-THE booming of
cannon). and its verb, with reference not
much to the sound as to the suddepness and
rush with which it is accompanied" Then.
among other definitions, he gives "a start
of commercial activity" and throws in
chunk OF history to the effect that the
Lumberman's Gazette. of Dec 10. 1879, first
made use of the expression in the following
fearfully and wonderfully constructed sentences:
There has not been the boom upon lumber ex-
perienced in many other articles of merchan-
disc" MIR. Murray's pathological acumen must
have had the end bitten off some time or other,
to allow him to ascrbe the origination or fresh
application of any word to writer who knows
no more about the language with which he is
dealing than to desecrate white paper with such
a wretched sentence. The intransitive verb he
defines: .'To go off with BOOM to burst into
sudden activity or briskness." and again the
Luubermans Gazette receives credit for adding
to the expressiveness Of the language with the
sentences: Everybody says business is BOOM
ing" taken from itss issue OF October 10, 1879.
The transitve verb is thus explained: 40
give boom to: 10 push, puff, force upon the
public attention. write up.' Also absol. To
work ND a boom" The Indianapolis Journal
of April %. 1879 is quoted: "The rest are in
varying degrees positive. il not all booming for
L. S. Grant" This is apparently all that Mr.
Murray knows about the origin and Of
sboom" 1t is all he has to say about it. The
fact is that the word, in its new and now most
general application. was originated by the
Globe Democrat, and first appeared in its issue
of July Is, 1878, almost q year before the Indi-
annapolis Journals quotation was printed
The editor of the Globe Democrat heard
the pilot OF eun-ooat use the ex-
the condition of the Mississippi river. which was
then OVERLOOKING Its banks. The new applica-
ton of the term was employed in urging GEN
eral Grant Tor q third term as PRESIDENT or the
United States This alone should have made
the word sufficiently important historically to
lead Mr.. Murray to discover its real origin, and
permit him to award the honor where it is right
fully due. Every day for nearly year after
the date of the first conversion of the
term to its present purposes the Globe Dem
ocrat kept boom" and booming" in its
columns. In the beginning the words
were reliaiously reserved for the Grant
movement, but gradually their application
spread to other fields Of politics. and after
awhile their adoption and application became
general Reference to the Globe Democrat files
for year. from July is, 1878, will disclose the
growth and expansion of the various forms of
the world. Mr. Murray did not know these
facts or ne might have given them place in his
mammoth meteorological dictionary. II is pretty
apparent. though, that Mr.. Murray's acquaint-
ance with Amercanisms is very limited, for the
word bari" also originated By the Globe Dem
ocrat. and more prominent ia political NOM
enclature for the past ten years than any other
single form of expression. is not mentioned in
the new lexicon.